Abstract

Dear Readers,

It is my great pleasure to announce the official publication of our 10th Issue. Our Editorial and Managing Boards have worked tirelessly over the past semester to compile a list of 13 articles we believe will contribute critically to the field of sustainable development. Issue X is a milestone for Consilience, which was founded in 2007. In just six years, we have published over 150 articles, including our Features and Briefings installments. We hope you will join us in celebrating this achievement by engaging with our most current edition.

Issue X features a variety of topics spanning different subjects and geographical regions. In Africa, Oyakhilomen Oyinbo, Abdulsalam Zakari, and Grace Zibah Rekwot discuss the “Implications of Agricultural Transformation in Nigeria,” Rebecca Smith examines malaria in Madagascar, and Edward Anane illustrates the environmental challenges of the Sunyani city in Ghana. Arash Riasi and Seyed Fathollah Amiri Aghdaie assess Iran’s accession to the WTO through the lens of the flower industry. Moving down to Latin America, Jorge Shigematsu and Sylvia Sadowski depict “Sustainable Indigenous Orchards” in the Colombian Amazon, while Philipp Altmann discusses the notion of “Good Life” in Ecuador.

The topics we are publishing are not limited to geographical scope alone; they exhibit global implications. Authors Patricia Nilsson, George Davies, and Mark Wilson all offer unique perspectives by discussing sustainable development in the context of gender, notions of weak and strong sustainability, and the green economy, respectively. Andrew Wu, Jaaved Singh, and Peter Tikasz also contribute a unique perspective by studying student behaviour as a means of increasing energy efficiency on a university campus. Doctors Seetharam Chittoor Jhansi and Santosh Kumar Mishra evaluate sustainability options for wastewater treatment. Lastly, our very own, Hubert Chang, and his colleagues present a solution for reducing the amount of energy required for concrete production.

Our mission remains to promote dialogue and understanding of issues in sustainable development that affect not only individual communities, but the greater collective well-being of our planet. Our authors have worked diligently to provide innovative perspectives to perpetual challenges in sustainable development. We invite you to think critically about their arguments, further our understanding of their claims, and challenge their assumptions. Through interaction between practitioners, scholars, and researchers, we hope the ensuing dialogue will offer fruitful solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our planet.

I invite you to read Issues X as well as our past publications and Briefings articles. As always, please contact us with any questions, critiques, feedback or submissions at contact@consiliencejournal.org.